In a recent study, researchers discovered that men and women who are married have a reduced risk of both fatal and non-fatal heart attacks, compared to those who are single or live alone. The study showed that those who are unmarried or live alone have a significantly higher risk of developing myocardial infarction – married couples have a far better diagnosis for acute cardiac events however.
The study was carried out to assess the differences in acute coronary events across a variety of socio-demographic characteristics. A total of 15,350 cases of acute coronary syndromes were analysed over a ten year period – 7,703 of these resulted in a fatality within a month of the event itself. There was no notable difference in the statistics between men and women, with the figures being almost equal. However, the trial did flag up the difference in romantic status – those who were unmarried were sixty percent more likely to suffer a coronary event than those who were married, irrespective of age. The death rate from acute coronary syndrome within a month of the event was also noted to be far greater, compared to married couples.
There have been no prior studies into the data surrounding heart attacks in single or married people, though scientists claims that it is already known that being single or living alone is a risk factor in cardiovascular mortality. This is due to people with poor health being less likely to marry or be in a relationship, earlier intervention by way of a spouse, and people being wealthier and having better diets or health habits when in a relationship. In an interesting twist, although heart attacks are lower in married couples, previous studies show that depression and suicides are at a higher risk in those whose spouses have had sudden heart attacks.
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